Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-25
INDIANAPOLIS NOTES. '
GOSSIP ABOUT THE CITY AND ITS
GREAT MEN.

l.
pects-Some "Reminiscences of Oliver
p. Nrorton-what Conkling Said of Him.
Peculiarities of Judge Turpie.
Especial Correspondence
INDIANAPOLIS, July Is.
The state of Indiana is almost a parallelo-
gram in shape, with the exception of the lower
edge, which is made up Of the forks OF the
Wabash and Ohio rivers, which, flowing to-
ward each other, form an acute angle at
the southwestern corner Of the state. The
most of the state is agricultural, and it ranks
second among the states OF the union in its
wheat production. The topography is gem
orally fat or rolling, and great part of the
state has been drained to fit it for farming.
Its best crop is corn, but it is fast coming to
the front as dairy state, and indianapolis
vies with Chicago and Cincinnati and Kansas
City as pork packing centers. The second
largest pork packing establishment Of the
country, l am told, exists here, and during
the season 1O, 600 hogs are packed away in In
dianapois daily.
This city of indianapolis is in the center of
the state and it is one of the greatest railroad
centers of the country. 1t has thirteen roads
coming into it from every direction, and more
than 100 passenger trains go out of 1t every
day. The town has had a wonderful growth.
Laid out in the woods in 1920, ten years later
rs entire property was not worth more than
Sl25, 600. Now it contains more than 12O, 900
people, and it has increased to this from 75,-
OJO III $780, The city had severe blow in
the panic OF 1878, when many of the best of
is old established firms went down and when
the business confidence of the people was for
q long time destroyed. Within few years,
however, 1t has rapidly recovered and the city
has apparently got new lease of life There
has been a steady advance in real estate values
and in commerce and manufactures. The
town does the larger part of the commerce
Of the state. Its wholesale houses supply the
interior towns, and it will have q steady
growth with the growth of the rest of Indiana.
Indianapolis has added greatly to its advan-
tages as manufacturing center by its belt
railroad, which circles the city and connects
with all of its numerous railroads. Along the
line of this railroad manufacturing establish
ments have been built, and by the payment of
& a car they can switch their cars on it to any
railroad they wish. If natural gas can be
furnished the city at o low rate, these manu-
featuring plants will grow very fast, and the
large Industries already here will take advan-
tage Of 1t. s*x
hc ldCtOlleS ucio uIo VI dll OnC
iron and steel firm, making roller -four mills,
has twelve acres of works; q malleable iron
works employs 500 hands; a car factory
covers fifteen acres with its buildings; an en-
CINE works turns out 500 locomotive boilers a
year, and there are two large saw works here
Then there are a number of other foundries
and iron works, a factory turning out 5000
boxes for pork and meat packing day, large
lumber yards and planning mills and the big
geSt desk factory in the country. A burial
casket factory makes 800 wood Baskets q week
and there is holnny mill here which uses
$500 bushels of corn q day, the yearly ship
ment of which, IL divided among the people
Of the United States would supply each man,
womau and child in it with one pound of
hominy. The indianapolis stock yards lie
along this belt railroad, and they were occu-
riel during the rast year by more than
100000 hogs, 96, 0UJ cattle, 10000 sheep and
5000 horses.
indianapolis has gained the reputation of
being malarious city, and the ague of Indi-
ana has been sounded abroad. One of its late
commissioners of vital statistics repudiates
this statement, and cmphatically says: "Indi.
ana has less epidemic diseases than Ohio or
Wisconsin, indianapolis is less malariou-
'han Washington or New York. and there
more quinine sold today on the ban of til
Hudson than there is sold on the banks of the
Wabash OF recent statistics of cities of
10000 inhabitants, indianapolis ranks the
lowest i'll its percentage of mortality. 1t is
only IL per cent, while Cleveland is IS Der
cont, and all others above 90 per cent, New
York leading at "a per cent. The town is
we'll drained and our sewerage is perfect"
In raised circle of green, not far from the
, etata bOuSp in nd
o bronze statue of Oliver p. Morton. In Uni.
versi5y park there is statue of Schuyl,
Colfax, and the Hon. John c. New tells me
the city will soon erect statue of Vice Pres
i!ant Hendricks. The statue of Morton
perhaps eight feet high. 1t stands on gray
t-anite pedestal, and the tall figure of Nor
ton is in the attitude Of speaking. The right
hand is outstretched, and the left, hanging at
the side, holds roll Of manuscript. The
rose OF tue figure is good and the face j.
STRONG, full and rather rough in its features,
looked at it in company with lifelon.
-riend OF Morton's, and as we sat in its shadow
talked with him about the great Indianian.
Sail he:
"Morton was the greatest man this state
as ever known. He was the greatest United
I ates senator Of his time, and he did more
- shape the legislation Of the country while
io was at Washington than any other man
III congress. He was the leading spirit dur
il the impeachment trial OF Andrew John
SCI, and Conkling and the other Republicans
relied upon him. had a talk with Conklinc
on this subject. He told me that Morton
though he had been but u short time in tho
senate, soon took first rank in the conduct c.
the trial Said Conking:
49,
"'Whanever Evarts or any of the other
counsel for the defense proposed knottv
question during the day and the court adj
Jpnrned over to the morrow, it was Morton
who brought lis out of Our difficulties. While
the rest of us, in the dark as to what was to
be the future of the trial, spent our evenings
IN going about with the fashionable society
Of Washington, Morton, invalid as he was.
remained III his room studying up the case.
The next morning always found him full of
presidents and arguments, which completely
upset the theories of the defense, and which
made that which had appeared SO dark "a
clear as midday
"Conklmg told Inc this while Morton was
still living, and he could not find words toe
strong to express his admiration Of him
OLIVER p Norton" this gentleman went
Oh, made the first war speech which wa,
made north of Mason and Dixon's line Il
was in 1850. The whole country appearc1
lverse to war. The New York Tribune hal